Find yourself a brown sofa and a cat called Snowball; it’s time to rank every one of The Simpsons games from best to worst!
The Simpsons are a family that needs no introduction. If you don’t know who they are, then seriously; where have you been all your life?
Homer might not be the best dad and Bart might be a little cretin most of the time, but at the end of it all, The Simpsons help each other out through thick and thin and always seem to come through for each other.
They’ve been a pivotal part of our lives for generations now, growing up with the kids who never age but whose life lessons have stuck with us over the years.
Now, it’s time to relive all those nostalgic feels as we rank all of The Simpsons games dedicated to this barmy family.
1. The Simpsons: Hit & Run (2003)
The results are in, folks; The Simpsons: Hit & Run is officially the best Simpsons game of all time!
Forget replacing Crazy Taxi with Simpsons characters; how about swapping out GTA characters for Homer and the gang?
Not only that, but add in the original voice actors from the TV show and fifty missions to play through in a whole new adventure, and you should instantly be able to see why this title tops our list!
Grab cars from innocent citizens, smash stuff, battle bees, and do whatever it takes to stop the town from falling under the influence of Buzz Cola.
Play along with your mates in the epic multiplayer mode and unlock collectibles as you play through the game.
Yep, it’s the ultimate Simpsons experience and one of the zaniest, most exciting hard-to-put-down games I’ve ever played!
2. The Simpsons: Road Rage (2001)
The Simpsons: Road Rage slams into 2nd position in our best Simpsons game list, and what a game it is!
How do you make the concept of Crazy Taxi even better? How about dropping Simpsons characters into the mix and driving them to locations around Springfield?
Dodging Mr Burns as he tries to ram you off the road, taking Reverend Lovejoy to church or Grandpa Simpson back to the home… it doesn’t get much better than that!
Who was your favourite racer in Road Rage? I think mine had to be Professor Frink in his super-swish flying car, or maybe Otto in the school bus.
Heck, they were all amazing, especially the holiday characters that showed up periodically throughout the year.
And the best bit was that you could just change your GameCube’s internal clock to access them at any time. Cheating is the best!
3. The Simpson: Arcade Game (1991)
The Simpsons: Arcade Game remains one of the best beat em up games of all time and a real classic that dominated the gaming scene in the 90s.
Imagine Streets of Rage, Springfield style. Use Homer’s angry might to kick and punch, or swing your favourite board with Bart.
Go HAM with a hoover by picking Marge, or channel the Belmont Clan as Lisa with her whip.
But why is all this happening in the first place?
It’s simple; Smithers steals a Diamond for Mr Burns, Maggie swallows the diamond, and Smithers steals Maggie. It’s your classic ‘baby eats treasure scenario’, that old chestnut!
Play through all the usual Springfield areas including the Power Plant, Krustyland, Moe’s Tavern, and all the other classic locations from the show.
Plus, how many beat ’em up games have minigames to play along with too?
4. The Simpsons Game (2007)
When a trip to buy a video game goes awry, Bart and the other members of the Simpson family find themselves part of a game of their own – The Simpsons Game!
Upon finding an instruction manual, The Simpsons discover they have hidden abilities. Sadly, two other beings have happened to notice this strange miracle; Kang and Kodos.
Cue an alien invasion and The Simpsons having to protect Springfield and the world, all while finding out what the heck is going on!
Play through 16 levels, each separated by original content that could have jumped straight from the TV show.
But what powers have the family suddenly discovered?
Well, Homer can turn into a blob and Bart fully becomes Bartman. Use the ‘Hand of Buddha as Lisa to move objects, and control the masses with Marge as she sends Maggie into hard-to-reach places.
If you’re going to get any version of this game, make sure it’s either the PS3 or Xbox 360 version. They allow players to just roam aimlessly and explore Springfield to their heart’s content in between missions.
Neat, right?
5. The Simpsons: Virtual Springfield (1997)
Fancy playing God? The Simpsons: Virtual Springfield is up next!
Imagine being able to interact with Springfield from the outside, walking around classic scenes and locations.
The aim of this game is to eventually tick off all the Simpsons characters. It’s basically like a Pokedex full of Springfield citizens… which sounds good to me!
Collect items that will help you get into new areas, explore TV’s most famous town, and take part in scenarios in all your favourite areas.
We’re talking Moe’s Tavern, the Simpson’s family home, the Kwik-E-Mart, and many more!
6. Krusty’s Super Fun House (1992)
Of course, the SNES version of Krusty’s Fun House has ‘super’ in the title – Krusty’s Super Fun House is up next!
You might have played this game on the Sega or the NES before. The SNES version is the same, just with 16-bit graphics.
The premise; Krusty’s Fun House is no longer a fun place to be. In, fact, it’s full of rats, and Krusty has to sort it out.
Seeing a clown herding rats into traps is much more exciting than you might have originally guessed.
Scrap that; it’s also uber-addictive!
Work with the level and scenery to make routes for the rats to travel along so they go straight into each trap. Play with pipes, fans, and blocks, working with other memorable Simpsons characters along the way!
7. The Simpsons: Tapped Out (2012)
Me and The Simpsons Tapped Out go way back. I would spend every break and lunch hour at university… and free time after lectures trying to build my miniature Springfield.
To say this game took over my life is an understatement. I would play for hours trying to unlock new characters and keeping things in order in my town, checking back for freebies, and even using real-life money to speed things up a little.
The premise is super simple – Tap on characters to make them do jobs, earning cash that you can spend on things to make your town bigger and better.
Simple and addictive; this thing should have come with a warning!
With seasonal events and so many things to spend your hard-earned cash on (both in and out of the game), you can count on this app replacing your Tik-Tok or Instagram addiction in a heartbeat!
8. The Simpsons: Cartoon Studio (1996)
If you’ve ever wished that you could be Matt Groening or just on the team that brings the Simpsons to life on our TVs, then The Simpsons Cartoon Studio can make that dream come true.
Taking backgrounds from the TV show, players (or I guess we should call them ‘budding artists’) create their own scenes using characters, items, and a whole host of effects, before sitting back and watching them come to life!
It’s not like you’re shot on choice with this game either. There are over 30 backgrounds and 270 items and props to choose from to bring your wildest Simpsons thoughts to life.
Use trademark character traits, music, and key lines of dialogue that you all know like the backs of your hands.
And when you’re done, send your clip to a mate in an email and sit back while you gain their ever-lasting appreciation for how awesome your cartoon-making skills are.
Here’s another cool fact – the artists who create the Simpsons cartoons actually made all of the assets in this game too. How cool is that!
9. The Simpsons: Bart’s House Of Weirdness (1991)
Bart’s House of Weirdness takes me back to a simpler time when joysticks were all the rage and young Retro Dodo team members were sat around a computer marveling at arcade action in our living rooms.
And, because of the cartoony nature of this game, it still looks and feels like an extension of a Simpson’s cartoon as I write these words today.
Bart gets up to a lot of weird adventures in the games throughout this list, though they all contain the same formula of Nancy Cartwright’s cowabunga-loving dude and key characters from the TV show.
Fight Itchy & Scratchy in a dream world, tackle ghosts in your basement, and stop Sideshow Bob from killing Krusty, all by throwing typical Bart weapons from burp guns to his trusty slingshot.
10. Virtual Bart (1994)
Virtual Bart is another weird old game… but I guess the whole concept of The Simpsons is anything but normal most of the time, come to think of it.
Super smart Martin Prince has made a VR machine, and Bart is now strapped into it.
Work your way through a series of bizarre situations as you try to escape the virtual world before Martin’s genius program crashes.
There are only 6 levels; three side-scrolling and three viewed from behind Bart’s back.
Play as a dinosaur, a baby, and a pig. Drive motorcycles, hit up slides, and generally cause havoc at all times.
The levels are random too; just spin the wheel and see what comes up!
11. The Simpsons: Night Of The Living Treehouse of Horror (2001)
The Simpsons: Night of the Living Treehouse of Horror takes the 11th spot in our list!
And yes, it is as weird as you might have guessed.
Though then again, I’ve never seen a Treehouse of Horror episode that didn’t leave me weirded out, so it’s a good job really.
After falling asleep in Bart’s treehouse, each Simpson’s family member gets captured by an evil spirit. To get back to the normal world, they have to fight their way through their own personal nightmare.
If you’re a huge Simpsons fan, then you’re bound to recognise scenes from the Treehouse of Horror episodes as you play through the levels.
Play as Maggie the fly, Homer taking over Richter Belmont as a vampire killer, and Lisa stoping cannibal teachers from taking a bite out of her.
12. The Simpsons Bowling (2000)
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of playing on a Simpsons Bowling cabinet down at the Arcade, then you’ll know how fun this title is. It’s nice to finally get to control Homer in one of his famous haunts, and as we would all learn in 2006 with the arrival of the Wii, bowling games rule.
Play with four players, picking from a vast array of characters from the show. And of course, the bowling action is going to be anything but normal with the Simpsons involved.
Getting a turkey (which is three strikes in a row) allows players to unlock some cool new balls, including the questionable inclusion of sending Maggie Simpson hurtling down the lane to knock down pins.
I mean, that makes the option of Nuclear Waste as a bowling ball seem far more safe and plausible, doesn’t it?
As you might expect, all the characters in the game are voiced by the original actors to give it that sweet Simpsons feel. All you need now is a couple of bottles of Duff and your bowling shoes, and you’re good to go!
13. The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man (1992)
Two heroes collide in our next title; The Simpsons: Bartman Meets Radioactive Man!
The graphics are super simple, but the NES brings a splash of colour to 1992 Springfield. Step into Radioactive Man’s world to save him from Limbo Zone.
That’s a place near a black hole, not some kind of hell where players have to limbo incessantly.
When Fallout Boy tells Bart he must save his hero, Bartman jumps into action. Defeat evil minions and battle supervillains as you avoid traps and collect helpful items.
This isn’t anywhere near as hard as Alex Kid or other tough side-scrollers, but it’s good fun and a must-have for Simpsons fans.
Who wouldn’t want to be Bartman, for crying out loud!
14. The Simpsons: Bart Vs. The Space Mutants (1991)
If you’re a die-hard Simpson’s gaming fan, then you’ll no doubt have played Bart Vs. The Space Mutants.
It’s the very first console game to come from the world of the Simpsons after the 1991 arcade title, and while it dropped on the Amiga and the Commodore 64, it’s the NES that we remember tackling it on.
I also remember it being insanely hard, at times, something I have since corroborated by playing it again and getting pretty angry at how bad I am at it.
The premise is every Simpsons fan’s dream, as well as every young boy’s dream too. Stop evil aliens from causing havoc, use X-ray glasses to track them down, and convince the world of their dastardly intentions.
Bart’s weapons are true-to-form, with players spending cash to get new items like cherry bombs in order to rid Springfield of its extra-terrestrial intruders. Get rid of purple items, conquer the five levels, and try not to lose all your lives.
The game starts off well but slowly degrades in both gameplay and humour for me. It just can’t carry the momentum of the TV show and, sadly, pales in comparison to newer titles like Hit and Run.
15. The Simpsons: Bart Vs. The World (1991)
I have mixed opinions on Bart Vs The World that some of my fellow critics will agree with and some will wholeheartedly disagree with all their might.
At times, this game can prove to be a little simple and devoid of fun. The premise of a scavenger hunt around the world and agents trying to take down Bart (sent by the devious Mr Burns I should add) is a good one, and features like seeing Bart exploring Egypt and The Abominable Snow Burns are incredibly fun, and by all rights, I should love this game more.
I just can’t make myself get into it, however, and believe me I’ve tried.
Most of the puzzles don’t really challenge me, and I’m an avid puzzler, having spent my life tackling Zelda games and Professor Layton titles.
I do, however, like the trivia challenges this game provides, and as I’ve said, the concept of a worldwide treasure hunt fills my inner child with glee.
If you’re a Bart Simpson fan, I won’t need to persuade you any longer. But, if you’re coming at this from a serious gaming point of view, then it won’t blow your socks off.
16. The Simpsons: Bart’s Nightmare (1992)
Bart’s Nightmare is up next, the game that spawned Virtual Bart two years later in 1994. Unfortunately for Bart, the sequel was much better than the first offering, with gameplay proving to be frustrating quite a lot of the time.
My main gripe with this game, however, is that there’s too much going on. They say that too many cooks spoil the broth, and if you replace ‘cooks’ with ‘insane ideas’ and ‘broth’ for ‘this game’ then that’s the perfect metaphor.
It’s hard to keep up with what’s going on. One minute you’re searching for pages of your homework, and then you’re completing a minigame in a dream, but then bullies can try to turn you off the right path and Lisa Simpson turns them into rodents.
See what I mean – it feels like a mental breakdown at times and can quickly become ‘your nightmare’ rather than just Bart’s.
Virtual Bart gets my vote all day long as it feels more structured and less like a tonne of ideas thrown together into Dr. Homer’s Miracle Spine-O-Cylinder and tossed around.
17. The Simpsons: Itchy & Scratchy In Miniature Golf Madness (1994)
Itchy and Scratchy are two of the most loved characters in the Simpsons series, and they only really appear for a short stint in every episode.
And, while their 1994 console outing is about to get a bit of a beating by yours truly further down this article, their Golf title from the same year actually gets a thumbs up from me.
Golf needs a little bit of spicing up at the best of times, so having a survival element with the trademark violence of this cat-and-mouse duo that makes ‘The Boys’ look tame is well appreciated.
It’s mini golf with terror and fear thrown in at every putt, and while it’s never going to win the game of the year award at Retro Dodo Towers, it’s a bit of fun that we enjoy going back to on the DMG from time to time while watching old Simpsons episodes on Sky.
Please don’t try to throw dynamite or meat cleavers at me if you see me on a mini golf course, however, I cannot stress that enough!
18. The Simpsons: Bart Vs. The Juggernauts (1992)
The Simpsons: Bart vs. The Juggernauts brings some gladiator-style panache to our list.
I’m not talking about the ancient Roman fighters of old here, but more of a parody of the Gladiators shows that were popular in both the UK and Britain.
Imagine spandex-wearing figures competing against members of the public, but with Bart taking the reigns instead!
The main premise of Bart VS the Juggernauts sees everyone’s favourite spiky-haired Simpson competing against characters from the TV show that are about 4 times his size.
Play through levels boasting a series of mini-games including basketball, wrestling, and of course, skateboarding.
The graphics are pretty simple, but then again, it is a DMG title. That green hue really brings back some memories!
19. The Simpsons: Minutes To Meltdown (2007)
Minutes to Meltdown came in the Java era of mobile phone gaming. If you’re old enough to remember downloading games onto your flip phone like I am, then you’ll know how isometric titles like this became the saviour of train journeys and trips to your auntie’s house.
Mr Plopper, Homer’s enigmatic Spider Pig, has caused a meltdown in Springfield. As Homer, it’s your job to gather items from specific characters in what is essentially the ‘idea starting point’ for Tapped Out, which would drop 5 years later
Certain characters try to stop Homer on his missions, and there are also obstacles to avoid that can deplete your health bar. It’s a little like if you took Hit and Run and Tapped Out and stuck them on a Sony Ericsson.
The game itself isn’t super tricky and won’t keep you hooked like Tapped Out, but for any nostalgic phone collectors that can manage to get hold of this game or emulate it, then it’ll certainly provide a few laughs.
20. The Itchy & Scratchy Game (1994)
I know what you’re thinking – Itchy and Scratchy in a SNES game all on their own, that must be awesome.
That’s what I originally thought too, and while I’m a massive Simpsons fan and always enjoy seeing Bart and Lisa watching the cartoon in snippets, I’m still not sure that they can hold their own in a full-length adventure.
The game feels like The Lion King crossed with Asterix and Obelix and follows a similar side-scrolling pattern. it’s fun enough to play and great for Simpsons fans, but doesn’t have a lot of depth or variety.
Itchy tries to kill Scratchy, and then the cycle repeats – that’s what’s on offer here, and while it’s fun in short bursts on the show, it soon gets a little boring.
I actually don’t think that the graphics are that bad for a game from 1994, but the repetitive nature of the gameplay and easy boss battles stop Itchy and Scratchy’s adventure ranking any higher.
21. The Simpsons: Bart & The Beanstalk (1994)
I kind of feel like Acclaim were scraping the bottom of the barrel with this one a little. We all know Jack and the Beanstalk, and I’m not sure we needed a full game of Bart playing Jack with Homer as the giant.
It’s a little obscure to say the lease and would fit in more as a minigame in Bart’s Nightmare than an actual stand-alone title.
The game’s seven levels don’t provide much challenge to seasoned gamers either, meaning it won’t take long for hardened Mario fans to finish at all.
In terms of graphics, it doesn’t look half bad. The gameplay is just as you would expect from the DMG and works well… but the concept just feels like a way of making a quick buck with zero imagination.
Not quite the ‘worst… video game… ever’ as Comicbook Guy might say, but definitely not one to write home about either.
22. The Simpsons Wrestling (2001)
The Simpsons Wrestling was never going to knock the likes of Smackdown off of the PS1 wrestling games roster, but hey, it’s The Simpsons… surely it had to be good, right?
There’s always a little mild cartoon aggression in the series, usually from Homer to Bart, but a wrestling game seemed a bit of an overstretch. And it turns out that it was less of a wrestling game and more of a beat ’em up.
And it was absolutely terrible.
Just look at those graphics; no amount of HDMI upscaling magic could make that look good. It was clumsy, badly put together, and had nothing to do with wrestling.
As I said, it’s more of a ‘punch buttons to punch your opponent’ type of game, with zero skill involved whatsoever.
Even if you love The Simpsons, this title is extremely hard to love.
23. The Simpsons: Itchy & Scratchy Land (2009)
We’re almost at the end of our list, and the fact that Java game Itchy & Scratchy Land is so far down can’t bode well for my review, can it?
Sadly, this game is like a terrible version of Theme Hospital. It’s hard to see on your phone, there’s too much going on, and it feels like another trial run of ideas for Simpsons: Tapped out.
Saving Simpsons characters isn’t anything new, and it’s all a little convoluted in this format. The game is over far too quickly too, and the fact that the last level is timed at 2 minutes makes me feel far less angry about the time constraints of the first Pikmin game.
All in all, not the Simpson’s finest hour, but at least it’s not The Simpsons Skateboarding…
24. The Simpsons Skateboarding (2002)
Here we are, ladies and gentlemen; the worst of all the Simpson’s games. Imagine if EA set out to make Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1,000 times worse and then used The Simpsons to try and mask how poor the game was.
Then imagine that even The Simpsons couldn’t save the day, and all you were left with is a terrible skating game that is already making Tony Hawk roll in the grave he isn’t in yet.
I can see why EA thought it might be a good idea; Bart does use a Skateboard after all and everyone loves Tony Hawk. Still, it’s just nowhere near the same calibre and ends up eating its own shorts over and over again.
Attempts to add modes like H-O-R-S-E to try and appeal to the Pro Skater fans make it all feel a little more embarrassing too. Honestly, I know you are probably thinking ‘this can’t be that bad’, but don’t do this to yourselves. The Simpsons Skateboarding belongs in Pandora’s Box and should never be let out… ever!
